


Shells

by TippenFunkaport



Series: SPOP Missing Scenes [6]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Bow Is a Good Friend (She-Ra), Bow is stressed, Canon Compliant, Cooking, F/M, Glimbow, Glimbow Week 2020, Missing Scene, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 4 Spoilers, adorabow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippenFunkaport/pseuds/TippenFunkaport
Summary: For the Glimbow Week Countdown Prompt: CookingWhen they return to Bright Moon after Adora destroys the sword, Bow insists on making Adora something to eat.Bow trying not to have a breakdown about losing Glimmer to Horde Prime while cooking for Adora. Or, to quote brightmoonprincess, "cooking! also mental distress and war lmao."
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra)
Series: SPOP Missing Scenes [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877965
Comments: 16
Kudos: 66
Collections: Glimbow Week 2020 countdown collection





	Shells

Bow couldn't remember ever seeing the Bright Moon kitchens this empty. Even when they'd snuck down here in the middle of the night there was usually someone they had to dodge. The staff must be out watching the skies with everyone else.

No. Not everyone else. 

"Bow, we don't have time for this. We’re being invaded! We need to--"

"Adora! Stop arguing with me about this! You haven't eaten anything since we left for Beast Island. It will take me half a second to get you something. Sit."

"Well, neither have you! So if you're going to insist on making me something, you better make something for your too." Adora made a little growl but slumped into one of the counter stools.

"Fine! So long as you agree to eat.” He just needed something he could grab quick but there wasn't much here. Tomorrow was usually market day and with the whole alliance quartered at Bright Moon, there hadn't been any leftovers. Everything was gone from yesterday's dinner, the dinner when she'd made that cheesy joke from when they were kids and he couldn't even look at her the rest of the meal without cracking up and what if that was the last—

"I can't believe she used Bright Moon as bait. Bright Moon! Her own kingdom!" Adora groaned from where she was lying face-down on the center counter, her head in her hands. Half her hair had come out of her ponytail and she didn’t even seem to have noticed. "And trusting Double Trouble after everything they... ARGH! What was she thinking? We better find her so I can smack her myself."

Find… food. Eggs, that would be fast. Protein would be good. Adora needed her strength. They all needed their strength. But She-Ra took a lot more out of his friend than she'd ever admit.

Adora. So infuriatingly stubborn. Just like--

OK, bowls and... frying pan. Maybe down here? Damn it! This place was made for cooking for a million people at once, trying to just find a normal sized pan was impossible. He slammed the door of the cupboard and went to check the rack.

"Entrapta said she would try to fix the sword.” Adora’s voice faltered on the word sword but she kept going. “But she didn't sound too hopeful. Something about how because it was tied to my physiology it could have unpredictable results which didn't sound all that encouraging."

Finally! He took the pan to the stove and dumped in some oil, at least they kept that in a sensible place right above the stove, this would be so much easier if he was home at his dads' kitchen and knew where everything was. Or if he could just ask-- He grabbed an egg and cracked it against the side so hard the pan almost flipped off the stovetop.

"I just... can't believe I did it. She-Ra is gone. Gone! But it was the right thing to do. I didn't have a choice." There was this panicked edge in Adora's voice. "It was the right thing to do, though, right?"

"Right." He went to grab another egg but hesitated, his hand above the basket. Only three left. She liked eggs in the morning, he should leave these for-- A leaden feeling settled in his stomach as he grabbed another egg and turned back to the pan.

"Bow, what if we're too late? What if it doesn't matter if Entrapta can fix the sword or if we can even find her or get the ship working in the first place because she's already gone and there's nothing we can do about it?"

Crap. He'd squeezed the egg too hard and it exploded in his hand. He moved the mess over to the sink. The water was so cold it stung his skin but he didn't move until all the egg was off his hand. Now he'd have to find something to get the bits of shell out.

"We'll figure it out." He yanked the drawer open so hard he almost pulled it out entirely.

"It's just so weird that she's probably with Prime right now. Prime, who's supposed to be a million times worse than Hordak, who's just, like, this faceless boogeyman in my head ever since Entrapta told us about him. She's probably looking at him right now." Adora exhaled. "Maybe it will be OK. If she's got magic… Oh, but if she doesn't... And we don't even know where she is, what they'll do to her. I mean, normally I'd say she'd be fine, she's smart but—" She let out a single laugh, a slightly crazed sound. "—look what she did tonight!"

He grabbed the last two eggs and broke them into the pan carefully this time. They seemed strong enough when they were in your hand but it didn't really take that much pressure and they shattered and then they were gone and there was nothing left but pieces. He wiped his eyes with his arm and tossed the shells into the compost. He flipped on the flame and then grabbed a pepper just for something to do.

"I just... really hope she's OK." Adora's voice sounded strangled and she sniffed.

He should say something comforting. Or hug her and tell her it was all OK. Instead, he started chopping, measuring even cuts with his knuckle against the flat part of the knife, like his dads had taught him.

Entrapta said Hordak had been running tests, trying to recreate the atmosphere on his home planet, tests that had nearly killed Catra. He flipped the thin strips of pepper on their sides, dicing them into tiny squares, slamming the knife down on the bits until it dented the countertop. Completely alone, gasping for air she couldn't breathe, slowly suffocating, and he'd ripped his hand out of… Maybe their last real conversation ever and he hadn't even…

He threw the handful of peppers into the pan and jabbed it all around until it looked like food. At least he knew where the bowls were. He grabbed one, dumping the whole contents of the pan in. He lost nearly a quarter of it to how badly his hand was shaking but most of it got in there at least. He set the bowl down in front of Adora, who lifted her head from the table to look at him.

"Eat. Come on. You need your strength."

She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket and pulled the bowl towards her. Thank gods Adora never turned down food. She looked pretty terrible but he imagined he didn't look much better. Neither of them had slept or eaten in way too long and that was before Beast Island tried to suck the life out of them. And then, of course, there were the events of the last few hours.

He exhaled slowly and leaned back against the counter, his legs still aching from his sprint to the Fright Zone. He squeezed his eyes shut like that could push it out. Like that flash of light wasn’t burned into his memory, the look on her face as she rose up and away, and then she was… His hand curled into a fist and he pounded it against the counter behind him. If he'd only run a little faster, taken less time to figure out where she was, had gotten there just five seconds sooner— 

"Wait. What about you?" Adora asked, her mouth full of food. She'd already shoveled most of it away. He knew she was hungry.

He waved her off. "I'll get something later." He couldn't imagine eating anything right now. It wouldn’t even stay down. Adora looked ready to argue but then she wolfed down the last of the eggs faster than he would have thought possible if he didn’t know how Adora was about food.

He grabbed the empty bowl, put it in the sink, and turned to her. “Now you’re going to go to sleep.”

“What? No. Prime’s—” She rose from her stool.

"The princesses will handle it." The other princesses. "What are you even going to do? You said it yourself, She-Ra is gone."

"I don't know, but I have to—"

"Adora!” He put a hand on each of her shoulders. “You are going to go get some rest. You can't take care of anyone if you won't take care of yourself first!"

Adora exhaled. “OK. You’re right. And you were right, too, about the food. I did need to eat. I feel better already. Well, physically anyway." She leaned forward into a hug, an Adora hug which was predictable strong arms and an aggressive squeeze, and not even a little bit chaotic and soft and sparkly. He tried to give one back but it was all muscle and no emotion.

Adora pulled out of the hug and held his arms. She smiled. "We're going to get her back, OK? I don't know how but we'll figure out something. We always do, don't we?" She yawned and he felt his own exhaustion tugging him down like extra gravity.

"Sure." He turned her around and started pushing her towards the door. “But now you are going to bed.”

“Fine, but you’re going to get some rest too, right? And remember to eat something?”

“I will.” When she’s safe.

He all but pushed Adora to her room and refused to leave until she actually got into bed. Fully dressed, because she was probably planning to get back up as soon as his back was turned, but luckily she was exhausted enough she was halfway to sleep before he’d made his way quietly out of her room.

Bow closed the door and leaned his back against it, listening to the soft sound of the waterfall from inside Adora’s room. Maybe he should stay here, make sure she didn’t try to escape. Except if he stayed still for too long everything would catch up with him.

He pushed off the door, almost toppling over and started walking. The hallway stretched ahead of him, dark and empty. It was worse now that he was alone with nothing but his thoughts.

He’d go scrub the pan, clean up from cooking, and then… He couldn’t plan much farther in advance than that. There was too big a drop on the other side. He was nearly asleep on his feet and he lurched his hip into a small display cabinet. Ow. Maybe he should eat something. Or at least get some rest.

Where… Oh.

The kitchen. Or his room. That’s where he’d been trying to go. And yet, this was where his feet had brought him.

He leaned his forehead against her door, the polished wood cool against his skin. It was too still on the other side, too empty. He squeezed his eyes shut. If nothing actually came out, then it didn’t count as crying.

Maybe he could… No, it was a bad idea. One he was only considering because he was tired. But he’d promised he’d rest and in her room, he could pretend—

What was that? There was a menacing hum in the distance and he dashed to the nearest window. There. Bots. Prime’s bots. Infesting the sky above the Whispering Woods.

No. Absolutely not. You’ve taken enough. He reached for his bow instinctively and notched an arrow. He’d take care of himself later.

Right now, there was work to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always hugely appreciated no matter how long after posting it is!
> 
> Visit my Tumblr for asks, fic updates and misc thoughts. [https://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com](https://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com/)


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